My New Favorite Artist: Kimbra

If you haven't heard her music yet, you are missing out. This song is amazing. Someone once described her music as a mixture between" Nina Simone, Florence and the Machine, and Bjork". Sit back, watch and enjoy this great video. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

Spring Inspiration

"a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world" ~ Oscar Wilde

"she's beautiful, and therefore to be woo'd; she is a woman, therefore to be won" ~ William Shakespeare

"her angel face, as the great eye of heaven, shined bright, and made a sunshine in a shady place"~ Edmund Spenser

Happy Friday. I hope you enjoyed these images from Sensual Fairy Tale.

Head Over Heels

Drooling over MSGM 's Pre-Fall 2012 collection. In my dreams I dress like this everyday, no matter what day it is or where I am heading to. Ideally I would probably be going to Bottega Louie with my girls for some brunch and mimosas. Afterwards, I would head over to Alcove Cafe & Bakery for a cappuccino and a slice of red velvet cake, but not without a Jane Austen book. I'd probably be reading a classic like Sense and Sensibility. Wouldn't it be lovely if we can live like this everyday? Drinking fancy mimosas, cappuccinos, eating red velvet cakes (without having to worry about the calories) and having the luxury to read for hours everyday, all while wearing beautiful designer clothes? One of these days I am going to go on a reading spree. A girl can dream right?

This week on instagram

I hope everyone had a great weekend. My weekend was very busy, but I definitely enjoyed it. Here are some of my favorite pictures I captured thru instagram this week.

1. The 2012 FIDM Debut Runway show in Santa Monica.

2. One of my new favorite restaurants Short Order on 3rd and Fairfax.

3. My very first Yoga mat, I decided it was time to join a Yoga class. So much fun.

4. Alejandro Ortega's collection at The 2012 FIDM Debut Runway show.

5. One of my favorite waffle joints Bru's Wiffle in Santa Monica.

6. Some cute crochet Japanese dolls at the Japanese American National Museum.

FIDM Debut 2012

Last week I attended the FIDM Debut 2012 Runway Show at the Barker Hanger in Santa Monica. As a tradition all Debut shows open up with costumes designed by Theater Costume Design students. The theme this year was musical The Phantom Of the Opera.

So many amazing fashion designers, but Alejandro Ortega was one of my favorite designers. His collection reminded me of the Rudi Gernreich sixties look with a Andy Warhol twist. I loved his use of bright colors, patterns, shapes and textures. I have a feeling that we are going to see a lot of him in the near future. Speaking of amazing designs, MOCA (The Museum Of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles ) is currently exhibiting some of Rudi Gernreich's work in collaboration with model Peggy Moffitt and photographer William Claxton. The exhibition will run until May 27.

Inspiration: Fab Ciraolo

How amazing are these illustrations? Fab Ciraolo is one of my new favorite artists. I love how this Chilean illustrator adds a modern twist to some of the most iconic film characters. His whimsical style is created by combining fashion trends, feminine prints and an explosive galactic background. Truly inspirational. 

Victorian Dress

I stumbled across these pictures from one of my last costume construction projects at UCLA. The assignment was to create a period dress. At the time I was inspired by fashion from the Victorian Era. After conducting some research from this time period, I began creating my pattern from scratch. I  designed a dress similar to the one in this illustration (on the left). The waist is very narrow and the bodice is very pointy at the center front. To create this illusion my darts have a curved shape to them. I used a black marking tape to create these lines as a point of reference.

With my guide lines in place, I began draping my muslin fabric on the body form. After all of the darts were pinned and smoothed out, I began shaping my design and cutting off all the excess fabric.

Once I finished marking my darts and seam lines on the bodice, I then laid it out on a drafting table and began connecting of all my pencil marks and notches together. From this point on my pattern was begining to take form. After completing this step, I added the seam allowance to to my sample and proceeded by transferring all this information to a paper pattern. Although I didn't take a picture, I cut and sewed my first sample out of muslin fabric. After fitting the sample on myself and making some adjustments, I drafted my final pattern.

One of the most exciting parts of this process was the final fitting. Here is where I finalized all last adjustments before sewing, hand stitching and hemming the final dress. At last all my hard work came together, now I can say that I designed and constructed my very first Victorian dress from start to finish.

Vintage Love

Color coordinated dresses at Jet Rag. Dresses, skirts and blouses are separated by decades. 

A great selection of men's clothing, period shoes and hats. Everything is neatly organized. 

A beautiful crown I spotted at the Rose Bowl Flea Market. You never know when you might have to costume a king.

 I am always doing research. Flea Markets are a great place to find books that are out of print.

I spent my weekend shopping at the Pasadena Rose Bowl Flea Market and Jet Rag, a vintage shop on La Brea. Part of my job as costume designer is to shop for very specific items. If I am designing a period film, I always start my shopping at flea markets. Although flea markets are sometimes a bit of scavenger hunt, I always seem to walk out with most interesting pieces. Jet Rag is one of my favorite vintage shops in Los Angeles, it's a one stop shop, or at least for me. The owner did a great job merchandising the store. Everything is coordinated by color, item and period. Another great thing about this shop is their grand selection of headwear and children's clothing, which can be a challenge to find sometimes.

Makers: The Designer's Workspace

Do you ever wonder what design studios look like? I always love to peek into the artist's workspace, especially when it relates to a fashion or costume designer. I found these images on The Makers website. The Makers is a photo project created by Jennifer Causey, who captured intimate photographs of jewelers, painters, fashion designers, perfumers and florists in their private studios. All these images are breathtaking and inspiring, I can't wait to decorate my own studio. 

This week on instragram

Who isn't obsessed with Instagram? I know I am. Here are some of my favorite pictures that I captured thru Instagram this week. I hope they inspire you to take out your camera and take some pictures.

1. Coffee Shop at Royal/T

2. A new creation from my accessory line Encanto

3. Gold glitter turntable at Royal/T

4. Miniature chair heaven display at FIDM

5. Endless inspiration at Craft and Folk Mueseum

6. Art at Royal/T 

The Fashion World embraces Lisbeth Salander

Costume Designer Trish Summerville, who is responsible for bringing the character Lisbeth Salander to life in the new adaptation of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, might have accidently created a fashion icon. Although the costumes may look very dark and bleak to some people, I find a raw beauty and innocence to them. There are so many shades of black and grey in her costumes. Everything was effortlessly distressed. This film has left a substantial effect on pop culture in such a short amount of time. Her urban-industrial hybrid look has influenced fashion houses everywhere. Several fashion designers like Alexander Wang and Rick Owens have immortalized this character with their runway collections. And of course, lets not forget Trish Summerville's The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Collection for H&M. Click here to view the complete collection.

Top to Bottom: Kathryn Bently/ Cerre/ Marna Ro/ Brian Lichtenberg/ Rooney Mara

The 14th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards

 I finally attended my very first CDG Award Ceremony. This year it was held at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills. The Ceremony was beyond everything I expected, I was so excited to be there amongst some of the most celebrated Costume Designers like, Sandy Powell, Trish Summerville, Mark Bridges, Lou Eyrich, Eduardo Castro, Arianne Phillips, Christopher Hargadon and Marlene Stewart, just to name a few. The funny and talented Jane Lynch served as a host on this magical night. To see the complete list of all the winners and nominees you can go to the CDG website. 

From Top to Bottom: Trish Summerville accepts the award for Excellence in Contemporary Film for her work on Girl With The Dragon Tattoo/ Arianne Phillips accepts the award for Excellence in Period Film for her work on W.E/ Marlene Stewart receives a Disaronno Career Achievement In Film award/ Sandy Powell and Lou Eyrich strike a pose/ The one and only Rooney Mara

FIDM: Costume Design Exhibition

On February 11, FIDM hosted the opening reception of The 20th Anniversary Art of Motion Picture Costume Design Exhibition. The event was such a treat. FIDM always puts on the most extravagant galas and I feel so lucky to be invited every year. This beautiful exhibition celebrates and honors the art of storytelling with selected costumes from this years Academy Award Nominated films for Best Costume Design. Other costumes from films like My Week With Marilyn, Water for Elephants and The Help are also displayed. If you are in the Downtown Los Angeles area, I highly recommend that you stop by the FIDM museum.The exhibition runs thru April 28. 

From top to bottom: Posters for the films of 2011/ Anonymous designed by Lisy Christl/ Water for Elephants designed by Jacqueline West/ My Week With Marilyn designed by Jill Taylor/ The Artist designed by Mark Bridges